The AP High Court has ruled in favour of Prathima Education Society, which had filed a writ petition challenging the stand of the Medical Council of India (MCI) regarding intake of students for the medical college run by the Society at Karimnagar. The court directed MCI and the Union Health Ministry to take immediate steps, taking into consideration the report submitted by a team of experts with regard to the intake of students to the medical college.

The Government of Andhra Pradesh had selected the Society's Prathima Institute of Medical Sciences to set up a medical college at Karimnagar, with an annual intake of 150 students. The Society had obtained the Essentiality Certificate from the government on July 30, 2001.

The Society approached the Union Health Ministry for permission to set up the college. The matter was referred to the MCI for evaluation of the facilities at the college and submits its report. The first expert team from MCI that visited the college in October 2001 pointed out some deficiencies for starting a medical college with an annual intake of 150 students. The second team that inspected the college in May this year had stated that the deficiencies had been rectified and that the college had provided the infrastructure for admitting 150 students.

In spite of submitting such a positive report, MCI had recommended grant of permission to admit only 100 students.

The lowering of the college strength was challenged by the Society in the High Court. The court observed that if decisions of statutory agencies were found to be divorced from the basic facts and ground realities, enforcement of legislation was bound to be lopsided. Reduction of annual intake would affect the petitioner as well as the students who had secured merit ranks in the entrance test. The court, therefore, ordered MCI and the Union Health Ministry to pass appropriate orders within three weeks. This was necessary as the admission process had started, the court ruled.